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George Matta
Background * Democrat * Was on row office * Lost election on May 16, 2006 for state house. News of campaign in 2006 for 35th Legislative District 12/1/2005 Allegheny County Clerk of Courts today announced he would seek the democratic nomination for State Representative in the 35th legislative district. In recent months, Matta has been meeting with local officials and committee members who have urged him to enter the race. Matta stated, "Two years ago we seriously considered entering the race because the concerns facing working families, businesses and senior citizens in our communities were not being addressed. We need to redirect our energies for the 35th and restore the taxpayer's confidence in our legislature. The most recent election in November is clear evidence that the public is upset with (our state government. "The public is demanding change, and I intend to bring that change." Stated Matta. During Matta's tenure as Allegheny County Clerk of Courts, he led efforts to professionalize the office and set all time state records for the collection of fines, costs, and restitution. Matta has also continued to serve the Mon Valley as Chair of the West-to-West Coalition of Governments. The group has secured more funding for Brownfield clean up and development of the environmentally tainted land than any other organization in Pennsylvania. Matta continues to work on other economic development projects to bring much needed revitalization to the Mon Valley. Under his leadership as Mayor of the City of Duquesne, the city was finally put back on the road to financial recovery. Because of these efforts, Matta was the first mayor to be re-elected in over 40 years. As a small business owner in the Mon Valley for more than 20 years, Matta believes that we must not only eliminate property taxes, but also create a business tax structure that will allow new and current businesses to compete with surrounding states and while also allowing them to grow and provide more jobs for the region. George Matta believes his experience; background and leadership will help him be a very effective legislator. "For too many years, our region has been overlooked in favor of districts with a stronger legislative voice. New projects and funding sources, that helps to encourage development, have gone to other districts instead of ours. "The State legislature has fallen asleep at the switch and it's time to issue a wake up call and get our region moving forward again. As always, I will be a strong voice for the people of the 35th Legislative District. I will work tirelessly to ensure that our district receives the development and funding resources we need and deserve. I will not be held accountable to any special interest groups or political leadership, only to the taxpayers themselves." Stated Matta. The campaign will kick off immediately and George and his wife Cathy will continue to travel the district, meeting with people to define their agenda for renewal and growth in the Mon Valley. Blog: Tube City Almanac from April 28, 2006 -- Electoral Dysfunction The Post-Gazette has endorsed state Rep. Marc Gergely for the Democratic nomination for re-election to the 35th District seat, calling George Matta's campaign one of "lies and deception." I didn't realize this --- shame on me --- but Matta's billboards and literature claim that Gergely took a "34 percent pay raise." The P-G correctly notes that Gergely's pay raise (which he voted against, but took anyway) was only 16 percent. And the P-G, like the Almanac last Wednesday, calls "bushwah" on Matta's claim that he's the "reform-minded and independent" candidate. Matta, notes the P-G, "was one of the party leadership's outspoken foes of the row-office reform approved by voters in 2004." The P-G also says that Matta has fabricated the newspaper clipping shown in a TV commercial he's running (I haven't seen it). According to the P-G, the supposed headline about Marc Gergely is a complete phony. And, according to the newspaper, Matta is also grossly distorting the amount of money that he accuses Gergely of "taking": It wasn't "taken," but was actually "legitimate expenses incurred by running a legislative office," including payments for office furniture, supplies, and rent. "Under that twisted logic, how much money has George Matta 'taken' to operate the clerk of courts office?" editorializes the P-G, which concludes that Matta's advertising is "dim-witted" and that his "campaign mastermind" should resign. Uh, ouch. Matta, incidentally, has one of his billboards on the Dravosburg end of the Mansfield Bridge, and had a bunch of signs at the top of Dravosburg Hill, near Bettis Laboratory, last time I looked. That's nice attention to detail: Someone might want to tell him --- or his campaign workers --- that Dravosburg isn't in the 35th District. Links * Progress Pgh Knowledge Base on George Matta with sparse info. * VIPs Matta Matta